Dr Brooke Short

Lecturer

School of Medicine and Public Health (Medicine)

Career Summary

Biography

Dr Brooke Short, MBBS(Hon), BSc(Biochem), BMedSc(Path), MMed, FRANZCP, is a Lecturer, Staff Specialist Psychiatrist and the Program Coordinator for Psychiatry at the University of Newcastle and the University of New England, Joint Medical Program (Faculty of Health and Medicine).

Brooke's research interests are focused on improving the quality and safety of mental health services, evaluating patient comorbidity and healthcare culture, and enhancing psychiatric research capability. Brooke's initial research focused on schizophrenia and its pathogenesis. More recently her research has involved qualitative analysis, improvement science methodologies and the utilisation of artificial intelligence platforms in the mental health space. She has also had experience in health policy, holding positions at the World Health Organization and the NSW Ministry of Health. This has included enhancing community mental health services and access across Asian and African countries. In 2017, Brooke worked as a Psychiatry Fellow and clinical lead with the NSW Ministry of Health to develop a co-designed Quality and Safety Framework for NSW mental health services. She was awarded a Health Education Training institute (HETI) Mental Health Award for this work.

In collaboration with the Black Dog Institute and UNSW, she published the first systematic review exploring the safety and tolerability of ketamine as a treatment for depression, and has led the development of the Ketamine Side Effect Tool (KSET). She has also recently evaluated metabolic comorbidity in patients on antipsychotic medications and the need for increased screening and intervention for these people in the inpatient setting. She is a collaborator with the CCLHD Health Promotion Service and co-principal investigator on research exploring associations between tobacco use, mental health and smoking cessation interventions.

Recently she has been involved in research grants and collaborations with the Sydney Arts and Health Collective exploring and evaluating healthcare workplace culture, including using verbatim theatre as a stimulus for cultural change, hidden curriculum and burnout issues, and improving orientation for medical students transitioning to the clinical setting. She is currently working on machine learning platforms to both improve the delivery of mental health services as well as improve diagnostics and treatments.

LinkedIn Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-short-65a16655

Qualifications

  • Master of Medicine, New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry
  • Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathology), University of New South Wales
  • Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry), University of New South Wales
  • Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, University of New South Wales

Keywords

  • Clinical Academic
  • Ketamine
  • Mental Health
  • Psychiatry
  • Quality and Safety

Fields of Research

Code Description Percentage
420313 Mental health services 100

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title Organisation / Department
Lecturer University of Newcastle
School of Medicine and Public Health
Australia

Professional appointment

Dates Title Organisation / Department
1/1/2009 - 1/10/2018 Conjoint Lecturer University of New South Wales
School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine
Australia

Teaching

Code Course Role Duration
MEDI6101A Integrated Medicine
Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle 		Program Coordinator 2/12/2019 - 4/1/2021
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Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Journal article (12 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2021 Short B, Giles L, Karageorge A, Bauer L, 'Exploring and reorienting psychiatrists' attitudes regarding smoking cessation and its potential to improve mental health outcomes: a pilot study.', Australas Psychiatry, 10398562211037321 (2021)
DOI 10.1177/10398562211037321
2020 Short B, Dong V, Gálvez V, Vulovic V, Martin D, Bayes AJ, et al., 'Development of the Ketamine Side Effect Tool (KSET)', Journal of Affective Disorders, 266 615-620 (2020) [C1]
DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.120
2019 Short B, Lambeth L, David M, Ryall M, Hood C, Pahalawatta U, Dawson A, 'An immersive orientation program to improve medical student integration and wellbeing', The Clinical Teacher, 16 323-328 (2019) [C1]
DOI 10.1111/tct.13077
Citations Scopus - 1Web of Science - 1
Co-authors Amanda Dawson
2019 Short B, Marr C, Wright M, 'A new paradigm for mental-health quality and safety: are we ready?', Australasian Psychiatry, 27 44-49 (2019) [C1]
DOI 10.1177/1039856218797423
2019 'Deployment of ketamine and similar rapidly acting antidepressants: long term risks and strategies for risk mitigation Chair: Rupert McShane', Bipolar Disorders, 21 16-17 (2019)
DOI 10.1111/bdi.04_12743
2018 Short B, Fong J, Galvez V, Shelker W, Loo CK, 'Side-effects associated with ketamine use in depression: a systematic review', The Lancet Psychiatry, 5 65-78 (2018)
DOI 10.1016/s2215-0366(17)30272-9
2016 Carpio A, Romo ML, Parkhouse RME, Short B, Dua T, 'Parasitic diseases of the central nervous system: lessons for clinicians and policy makers', Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 16 401-414 (2016)
DOI 10.1586/14737175.2016.1155454
2015 Weickert TW, Weinberg D, Lenroot R, Catts SV, Wells R, Vercammen A, et al., 'Adjunctive raloxifene treatment improves attention and memory in men and women with schizophrenia', Molecular Psychiatry, 20 685-694 (2015) [C1]

There is increasing clinical and molecular evidence for the role of hormones and specifically estrogen and its receptor in schizophrenia. A selective estrogen receptor modulator, ... [more]

There is increasing clinical and molecular evidence for the role of hormones and specifically estrogen and its receptor in schizophrenia. A selective estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifene, stimulates estrogen-like activity in brain and can improve cognition in older adults. The present study tested the extent to which adjunctive raloxifene treatment improved cognition and reduced symptoms in young to middle-age men and women with schizophrenia. Ninety-eight patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited into a dual-site, thirteen-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of adjunctive raloxifene treatment in addition to their usual antipsychotic medications. Symptom severity and cognition in the domains of working memory, attention/processing speed, language and verbal memory were assessed at baseline, 6 and 13 weeks. Analyses of the initial 6-week phase of the study using a parallel groups design (with 39 patients receiving placebo and 40 receiving raloxifene) revealed that participants receiving adjunctive raloxifene treatment showed significant improvement relative to placebo in memory and attention/processing speed. There was no reduction in symptom severity with treatment compared with placebo. There were significant carryover effects, suggesting some cognitive benefits are sustained even after raloxifene withdrawal. Analysis of the 13-week crossover data revealed significant improvement with raloxifene only in attention/processing speed. This is the first study to show that daily, oral adjunctive raloxifene treatment at 120 mg per day has beneficial effects on attention/processing speed and memory for both men and women with schizophrenia. Thus, raloxifene may be useful as an adjunctive treatment for cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.

DOI 10.1038/mp.2015.11
Citations Scopus - 86
2012 Cupina D, Short B, 'A Case of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis Disguised as Mania in a Woman With Known Bipolar Disorder', The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 24 E18-E18 (2012)
DOI 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11060118
2012 Morris RW, Vercammen A, Lenroot R, Moore L, Langton JM, Short B, et al., 'Disambiguating ventral striatum fMRI-related bold signal during reward prediction in schizophrenia', Molecular Psychiatry, 17 280-289 (2012)
DOI 10.1038/mp.2011.75
2011 Vercammen A, Rushby JA, Loo C, Short B, Weickert CS, Weickert TW, 'Transcranial direct current stimulation influences probabilistic association learning in schizophrenia', SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH, 131 198-205 (2011)
DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2011.06.021
Citations Scopus - 82Web of Science - 72
2011 Rushby JA, Vercammen A, Loo C, Short B, Weickert CS, Weickert TW, 'Frontal and Parietal Contributions to Probabilistic Association Learning', CEREBRAL CORTEX, 21 1879-1888 (2011)
DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhq255
Citations Scopus - 5Web of Science - 4
Show 9 more journal articles

Conference (3 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2019 Dawson A, Pahalawatta U, Short B, Lambeth L, David M, Ryall M, Hood C, 'Facilitating a successful transition from academic to clinical education for medical Students', Vienna Austria (2019)
Co-authors Amanda Dawson
2019 Dawson A, Pahalawatta U, Turnbull S, newlands J, Buckland R, Willcocks J, Short B, 'Creating an Effective Hospital Culture: Collaboration between Education, Workforce and JMOs. Workshop', Canberra (2019)
Co-authors Amanda Dawson
2018 Lambeth L, David M, Short B, Ryall M, Hood C, Dawson AC, 'Training the Central Coasts Future Doctors at BEACCHES', Central Coast (2018)
Co-authors Amanda Dawson
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Grants and Funding

Summary

Number of grants 3
Total funding $124,000

Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.

20192 grants / $24,000

Central Coast Local Health District, Caring for Our Future Research Grant$20,000

Funding body: Central Coast Local Health District

Funding body Central Coast Local Health District
Scheme Research
Role Lead
Funding Start 2019
Funding Finish 2020
GNo
Type Of Funding Other Public Sector - Local
Category 2OPL
UON N

Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle Travel Grant$4,000

Funding body: School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle

Funding body School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle
Scheme Conference Presentation
Role Lead
Funding Start 2019
Funding Finish 2019
GNo
Type Of Funding Internal
Category INTE
UON N

20171 grants / $100,000

Higher Education and Training Institute (HETI) Mental Health Research Award$100,000

Funding body: Higher Education and Training Institute (HETI)

Funding body Higher Education and Training Institute (HETI)
Scheme NSW Health
Role Lead
Funding Start 2017
Funding Finish 2018
GNo
Type Of Funding C1600 - Aust Competitive - StateTerritory Govt
Category 1600
UON N
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Research Supervision

Number of supervisions

Completed0
Current1

Current Supervision

Commenced Level of Study Research Title Program Supervisor Type
2021 PhD Using Machine Learning to Assist Decision Making in the Assessment of Mental Health Consumers Presenting to Emergency Departments PhD (Nursing), College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle Co-Supervisor
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Dr Brooke Short

Position

Lecturer
School of Medicine and Public Health
College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing

Focus area

Medicine

Contact Details

Email brooke.short@newcastle.edu.au
Phone 02 4320 3627

Office

Building Training and Research Unit
Location Gosford Hospital
Cnr Henry Parry Drive and Margin Street
Gosford, NSW 2250
Australia
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